Men's Basketball

Men's hoops falls to No. 17 Rochester by one, 48-47

Jan 08, 2006

WALTHAM, Mass. – For the second year in a row, the
University of Rochester men's basketball team survived a one-point
game in Waltham, as the visiting Yellowjackets defeated host
Brandeis University, 48-47, in a University Athletic Association
(UAA) contest.

Rochester (8-3, 1-2 UAA) averted three-game UAA losing streak
thanks to sophomore center Jon Onyiriuka (Painted Post, N.Y.).
Onyiriuka registered his third double-double of the season with a
game- and season-high 24 points and 10 rebounds, also a game-high.
He also hit the game-winning free throw with 27 seconds left on the
clock.

After Onyiriuka hit the second of two foul shots, Brandeis (7-5,
0-2 UAA) had a chance for the win, but the Rochester defense
clogged the lane as sophomore guard Florian Rexhepi (Skopje,
Macedonia) drove to the basket and forced a bad shot with three
seconds remaining. Time expired as the teams scrambled to pick up
the rebound.

Brandeis trailed for all of the defensive first, taking a 22-18
deficit into the locker room. After Onyiriuka hit a lay-up to give
UR a 24-18 lead early in the second, the Judges went on a 12-2 run,
taking a 25-24 lead on a trifecta from junior Ido Givon (Givataim,
Israel) with 17:14 on the clock. Givon hit from long distance on
the Judges' next possession to give them their largest lead of the
contest, 28-24.

The Judges held on to the lead until the 10:13 mark, when another
Onyiriuka lay-up gave UR a 37-36 lead. Brandeis sophomore Joe
Coppens (Rockland, Mass.) answered with a pair of free throws,
triggering five ties and a pair of lead changes the rest of the way
before the final margin.

In addition to Onyiriuka, sophomore guard Jeff Juron (Niskayuna,
N.Y.) added seven points an eight boards for the Yellowjackets.
Senior Joe Canty (Dudley, Mass.) added a game-high four assists
along with seven rebounds. UR owned a 39-28 advantage on the glass
to help them overcome 14 turnovers.
Brandeis was paced by 11 points each from Rexhepi and sophomore
forward Steve DeLuca (Merrimack, N.H.). DeLuca also led Brandeis
with six rebounds and three assists. The Judges were unable to
overcome 35 percent shooting from the floor (17-for-49) and a
10-of-19 performance for the line (53 percent).

Brandeis is next in action next Saturday for their first road UAA
game of the season at NYU at 4 p.m., while UR will compete in the
JPMorgan Chase Tournament on Wednesday.